Silver Scented Hills
by holographic
Summary: His mother always looked towards the mountains, and he always ran over those green hills until the day he found out. His discovery and that girl's sudden appearance set everything in motion. OC only, one-shot.


**kayso.** I started this suuuch a long time ago. e__e;; It's so old. So these are two of my Soul Eater OCs, how they met. They're .. kind of an interesting team, so hopefully I'll get to do something with them.

**soyeah.** Please read and enjoy, and keep in mind that the two in this piece are fairly young. 8D;

**kthx. **I do not own Soul Eater or anything else. Only Yuiko and Nicolae.

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Silver Scented Hills.  
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When he watched his mother cry, he shifted, blinking. Light blue met the same color, the stretch of sky he could always see in the distance on these green hills, but never anything he could reach. It was the same now, with her eyes, looking so far beyond him, she could have been looking at Heaven for all he knew.

"Nicolae, it's time to let it go."

His father's voice was gruff in his ear, and the twelve year old turned to look at him blankly, as if he didn't understand, when really, he understood so well it hurt.

"Finding out what you were was just too much for her."

He lowered his eyes, to look at the floorboards, rubbed smooth from generations of his family rubbing their feet over it. Nicolae knew he should cry, he should beg his father to do something to make it better, something, but he nodded instead, standing. Lanky and awkward for a twelve year old, he was also soft, white-skinned and gentle, far too gentle for life here, with a family of rough and tumble people.

The two of them left, beginning to walk into the kitchen. Their house wasn't big, but it wasn't small, either, and it was sturdy, having withstood about five generations of his family. Softly, they walked to the smaller room, cozy, where his six siblings waited. Lowering his eyes again, watching the grooves in the wood, dark and old and wise, he wondered how he should be feeling, to have caused such discomfort in his family. He should have been hugging his two sisters, one older and two younger twins, telling them it would be alright, laughing with his older brothers, and ruffling the hair of his younger brother, or telling his father that he would pretend, for his mother's sake, that he had been lying.

Yet, all he wanted to do was laugh, throw his head back and smile, run out the doors, shouting it to the world, _I am free, I am finally free_, even though he wasn't free, or anything close to it yet. Running over those hills, though, was the closest he could ever get, standing on top of the tallest one he could find and opening his arms to embrace all of the damp morning air, the wet grass, and the lavender, cornflower, and silvery-colored scent of the land. The loch not too far away lying at the base of the hill proudly, watched as he breathed deeply through the nose and into his young chest, puffing out his chest to take in as much air as possible. If he stayed there forever, he would be happy, and if he rolled down the hill, his slender body would be bruised by cleverly hidden rocks, covered in quiet, small wildflowers, and his being would be dumped into the snowmelt water, cold beyond belief even now, during Spring. But, Nicolae knew that was the highest point of his existence so far, just to hug the feeling of the outdoors, hold it close to him, smell it and taste it.

But right now, he was stuck inside. Stuck here to look at his family, blank faced as he could manage, with his stupid, messy tabby-cat hair, and wooden blue eyes. It was like being a porcelain doll among tanned, hearty real men, Pinocchio trying to fit in, or something. If only he could be stronger—but no, he had to discover that he had inherited the very blood that had forced his family to flee here so long ago. The news had killed his mother, as he had seen just recently, because he was one of her favorites and on top of that, had been hoping that perhaps they could go back to live in a city someday. But when? When? How could they ever, now that Nicolae had discovered his talent?

A knocking interrupted after hours of silence had filled the house with discomfort. Nobody talked, nobody smiled, nobody really knew how to look at Nicolae anymore. But then the tapping at the door came, over the sound of the rain, insistent. Nicolae rose before anyone else did, and walked to the door, but his father beat him to it, coming just before him, as Nicolae was suddenly filled with fluttering electric currents at the base of his stomach, tickling him, from the presence beyond that slab of wood.

"Hello?" His father's voice slid easily into the rain, around the falling droplets with ease, and the figure in the rain looked up at them both, and Nicolae gasped softly. Her eyes were sharp, sharper than any eyes he had ever seen, and blindingly green, like a cat's pale Peridot colored eyes, with pupils more reminiscent of slits than circles. The black cloak made it seem like her skin was covered with powder, dead white, with a seemingly paper consistency, with wisps of straight black hair falling into her face as she stared back at him intently, before turning to face them directly, squaring her shoulders under the thick fabric, throwing back her hood with a toss of her proud head, looking at him with her chin raised.

"You. You're of weapon blood, aren't you?"

Nicolae blinked, stunned. He had only found out a few days ago, so how did she know already? His mouth opened slightly as he stared back, and she frowned suddenly, her black eyebrows creasing her perfect skin in a way that seemed painful, almost, and he finally answered her, stammering out, "Y-yes, I… I think I am."

"He is." His father confirmed stonily. Nicolae almost had his breath taken away, the girl didn't look at his father, but suddenly held her hand out to him, looking at him with burning eyes.

"Come with me, then. Be my weapon, Nicolae."

The boy didn't know what to do. Looking still at the girl outside in the rain, he opened his mouth but nothing came out. Gasping softly, he could feel himself beginning to tremble—it began in his lungs and his knees, growing and spreading as her eyes drew him in with the flames leaping higher and higher, and his father stopped him from moving by holding out an arm. The girl frowned, flicking her eyes up to the dad suddenly, the hellfire of her eyes spitting itself at him, as she spoke once more with venom, "What are you doing, sir?"

"My son will not be going anywhere. This is his home." His father was proud as well, Nicolae knew, and this child was pushing his patience. Continuing, his father said, "We also don't take kindly to strangers. Where is your family?"

The girl's eyes flared up violently, and she growled, "I don't know. It doesn't matter."

Nicolae stepped back lightly, and the girl watched him; he could see her eyes soften only slightly, growing more curious than angry, but the intensity remained.

"Besides. Shouldn't a decision like this be up to him?" She looked back up at Nicolae's father coolly, her voice evening out nicely.

"He isn't of age."

"Neither am I." She said. "I'm younger than him."

"Then go home."

"I have none."

That seemed to catch the man, as her eyes fixed onto his, the smoldering beginning to affect him, and her small stature, so weak and tiny and pale in the rain, appealed to his more fatherly side as the man finally sighed, and stepped away from the door. Nicolae also pressed himself against the wall awkwardly, allowing her the room to enter. The girl raised an eyebrow but entered, removing her cloak regally, and went to fold it over her arm, but Nicolae took it and put it by the fire to dry a bit. She shrugged off the small kindness and nodded to the father stiffly, inclining her head, and nothing more.

The two men walked behind her, Nicolae mesmerized and his father rather or not exasperated. They looked similar, honestly, with the same messy, long orange hair and tall frames, with soft looking hands and pale skin, freckles light on their cheekbones. But while Nicolae's eyes were blue, his father's were burning amber-green, hazel and focused.

Upon entering the kitchen, his siblings all looked up in surprise at the exotic, royal-seeming person in front of them, with her red-tinted lips and white skin, styled hair and kimono-esque garb. She wore a sleeveless, long shirt that wrapped around her, having to be tied at the waist by what Nicolae thought was an obi, of dark gray, light gray and dark, dark red, with a skin-tight black shirt underneath. She also wore leggings, down to below her knees, as her shirt stopped about half-way down her thigh. Black and gray bandages wrapped their way around her wrists, some of her hands and a bit of her lower arms, with light gray rosary beads wrapped around them, falling gracefully around her wrists.

"Now," His father said, sitting down heavily and rubbing his face, "What is your name?"

"Yuiko."

"Where are you from?"

"I live in the US."

"Is that your homeland?"

She shrugged.

"You don't know?"

"Obviously, or else I would have answered."

His father ignored that, moving on, "Where in the US?"

"Utah."

"And the city?"

"Death City."

There was a light murmur from his siblings, mostly between the three older ones, and Nicolae blinked. Death City? His father drew a sharp breath, staring at her with widened eyes, panicked like Spring showers.

"Death City… then, you must be…"

"I am a weapon technician, yes. A meister."

"Then what do you want with Nicolae?"

"I've looked at every weapon blood I could find, to see their soul. And out of the hundreds I've seen, his is the only soul that I could ever connect with."

"What does his soul have anything to do with this?"

Yuiko sighed, an impatient, drawn out noise, and began explaining carefully to them all.

"A weapon technician is someone who uses a person who can transform into a weapon, right? You all know that much, don't you?"

His father nodded, swallowing.

"For a tech and a weapon to be able to work together, they _must _be able to match their souls, or more specifically, their soul wavelength. We must compliment each other's souls, we must complete each other, and we have to be able to be closer to one and other than almost anyone else in our lives." Yuiko looked at Nicolae intently, and the boy felt something fluttering, still, in his stomach. "Nicolae's is the first soul I've seen that would be able to handle mine… that isn't already taken. However, even with those souls that would work with mine, Nicolae's is the only soul who fits my own perfectly."

"What happens if you try to use a weapon that… doesn't match your…" Nicolae finally spoke, hesitating, but Yuiko's eyes fixed on only him, and he felt a bit braver actually, and continued, "What if the people don't match each other?"

"Then, most likely, they won't be able to use each other properly, if at all, and either, or both, of them could wind up hurt." She answered frankly. "Would you like to see if we match?"

"H-how?"

"Transform for me." She commanded, and the power in her voice didn't annoy him, but almost overwhelmed him and he stood shakily, walking in front of her, looking at his hands before closing his eyes and allowing himself to shift—it was odd, compressing and stretching and sharpening, a cold feeling growing over you, but he felt so alive at the same time. Yuiko caught in before he hit the floor, spinning the blades over her fingers before catching them on her fingertips and grasping them firmly in her palms, balancing them there before slashing forward and cutting a bit of his father's hair off. Pulling back, she grinned, her sharp white teeth flashing dangerously.

"I can use you better than any weapon I've ever handled." She mused, idly looking at his blade and running her fingertips along the onyx surface that shone dimly in the firelight. "And you're probably the most beautiful I've seen."

Nicolae was grateful to be in weapon form, where she couldn't see him blushing at that compliment. His face would flash in the reflection of light in the weapon sometimes, but Yuiko was holding him up to the flames to inspect him. The slightly curved blades of the twins daggers Nicolae turned into were sharp and jagged, like shark's teeth, with a hilt of white fabric, fraying as if it was old, when really it was brand new. A hole lay in the round top of the small hilt, where Yuiko could put her finger to spin him back to stab someone behind her, if need be, and she knew it. Smiling, she finally tossed the two daggers lightly into the air, as they were connected by a thin, but indestructible, wire, invisible to all but he and Yuiko, and Nicolae transformed back, touching the floor with his feet gracefully, looking down at her.

She held out her hand again, not as a path to freedom being her servant anymore, but as a handshake, a promise, between two equals, and she grinned still, her face not as scary as it was when he had seen her in the rain.

"Now tell me, Nicolae: will you be my weapon?"

His father said nothing, but looked at him, and Nicolae could see in his father's eyes the words he had waited to hear for so long, along with the resignation: _Choose for yourself._

"Yes."

Yuiko smiled, and he took her hand, shaking it firmly, before she threw her arms around his skinny twelve-year-old waist, laughing. "Thank you, Nicolae."

His oldest brother, seventeen in age, clapped his shoulder lightly, and soon everyone in the kitchen was talking once more, laughing and smiling. The fire was stoked up once more, raging merrily, and his sisters danced, joking about something, as Yuiko was pulled into the dance with one of his brothers as they all laughed at her awkwardness.

Sneaking out of the kitchen, he walked upstairs to his mother's room. Standing outside the door, Nicolae spoke softly to her through the door.

"Mother, I'm sorry, but… I'm going with someone: a weapon technician came, and she wants me to be her weapon, and I… I've agreed. I hope you can forgive me…" He paused, waiting for some kind of sign she was alright, or anything, before he frowned slightly, pushing open the door. "Mother…?"

The curtains blew in the gentle wind coming from the hills as he looked on, the sky painting the room silver and cornflower and violet, the same colors the wind smelled of, and Nicolae looked at the billowing sails of the windows, looked at the gentle flowers on the dresser, dying slowly as they dried, looked at the stool his mother had been sitting on and the note on top of it, and knew without reading it what it said.

"…" Looking on, he kept silent and stepped forward, closing the door lightly behind him. As the smell filled his lungs with color, painting him from the inside out, Nicolae finally picked up the note, and read it, his eyes dry and distant.

"_Nicolae, _

_I will be waiting for you. Hopefully, in time, you will find me. I will wait forever if I must, but someday, you will find me. I am sorry I couldn't be there to be happy, and perhaps this is something I will regret, if given the chance, but it is also something I need to do. We have a path to follow, Nicolae, and this is mine: for, this way, I will not stand in your way._

_With all the love I have to give,_

_Mother._"

The silver settled at the bottom of his lungs as lavender suffocated him and cornflower pushed the air out from everywhere it could be hiding. His mother was gone, but when he looked out the window, he could see nothing there. Standing quietly with the light, white drapes floating in the gentle twilight breeze, Nicolae breathed in to calm himself and clutched the sill. Something spilled over his cheeks finally, because even if she was alive, she was gone.

A hand rested on his arm suddenly, a reassuringly cool hand with soft fingertips. He looked down for a second, wiping his eyes quickly, to see Yuiko looking up at him seriously with her yellow-green eyes. In the twilight, the black against white of her hair and skin was even more striking and she looked unreal to him. Moving his eyes out the window again, he could see the hills leading to the not so distant mountains, a direction he could only guess his mother was running.

Yuiko moved her hand away, looking over the hills with him for only a second before turning to him.

"I promise you, we'll find her."

Nicolae said nothing, but knew somehow that it was true. He knew Yuiko wouldn't stop until she had found his mother, and with that the silver, cornflower and lavender poisoning his lungs lifted like a blanket, and he nodded slowly. Maybe this was his mother's way of saying it was time to get away from these silver scented hills.

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**lolomg. **This story really is so old. xD It'll probably be my last one for awhile, too, considering I'm not going to have much writing time this year, but I will do my best! Fanfiction will be something I love, still. From now on, though, I'm only going to be posting either one-shots, or stories that have several chapters already written. I need to get back on track.

**plz. **You can review, favorite, or even just subscribe. I love having new readers. c: But please tell me what you think of them!

**manrii.**


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